USA

ByCompiled from wire service reports by Ross AtkinMay 23, 2006

The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday that its probe of gasoline prices turned up no anticompetitive conduct by the major oil companies. The congressionally mandated investigation looked for evidence of "illegal market manipulation" or "price gouging practices" in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

Three of five eastern Kentucky miners killed ina weekend mine explosion died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a preliminary autopsy that angered some family members of the deceased. Their reaction occurred after realizing the men, unlike their colleagues, probably survived the initial blast, but apparently weren't able to get adequate oxygen. Officials are investigating whether emergency breathing devices were operable.

A court document unsealed Sunday provided the basis for the first FBI search ever made of a congressman's Capitol Hill office, the agency said after scouring the office of eight-term Rep. William Jefferson (D) of Louisiana. According to the document, FBI agents videotaped the lawmaker accepting $100,000 in a briefcase last July from an unidentified government witness in a bribery investigation. Later, most of the money was found in a freezer during a search of his home.

A team of forensic specialists continued to comb the grounds of a Michigan horse farm Monday during the sixth day of an FBI search for the remains of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, who disappeared 30 years ago.

The New York Stock Exchange's $10.2 billion cash-and-stock offer made Monday to buy Euro-next will be center stage Tuesday as shareholders of the European stock exchange operator hold their annual meeting in Paris. If approved, the deal would create the world's largest securities market, with $27 trillion in combined listings, according to the NYSE Group Inc. Euronext runs exchanges in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Lisbon.

The 14-team Women's National Basketball Association, an offshoot of the NBA, has lifted the curtain on its 10th anniversary season.